VC Monday: 2/25/08

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Kirby in 3D!

By Bozon

It's Monday, and that means more VC goodness from the studs over at Nintendo of America. Continuing the 2008 tradition of two Virtual Console titles a week, we've got a duo of resurrected retro titles available for download at the Wii Shop Channel. Hitting this week is N64 classic Kirby: The Crystal Shards for 1,000 Wii Points, accompanied by another TG-16 shooter in Psychosis, weighing in at a cheaper 600 points. Both titles are available for download now, so check out the official descriptions from Nintendo, and get downloading.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards: (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Kirby's first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land's powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it's scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal. Along the way, you'll use Kirby's trademark copying ability to use enemies' strengths against them. Not only that, but try combining any two abilities to create a brand-new one that is usually stronger than the original. Throw in three exciting multiplayer minigames, and you've got a package of which even King Dedede would be proud. Fans of Kirby and action games with bright, colorful graphics should vacuum this one up.

Psychosis: (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): This is a side-scrolling shooter played in a world created from the mind of a twisted demon. Your soul has suddenly wandered into that evil world that exists in every person's heart. The only way out is to blast your way past the grotesque creatures that block your path in five "causes" (stages). You must face the dangers of this psychedelic world by making full use of three shot types and the satellite option. With power-ups, you can change your shots to a wide-coverage beam, a satellite-generated laser and more. Each shot type can be powered up to three levels. You can also block enemy fire by rotating the satellites to a desired position. How you use these features will be the key to successfully escaping this strange and surreal world.

We'll have more on these two games soon, including new media and final reviews. Be sure to check back later this week for more, and we'll see you again next Monday for another set of VC releases.